2 adults allegedly make children steal goods from Walmart

UPPER HANOVER — Two adults allegedly used children in their attempt to steal more than $500 worth of items from Walmart.

According to state police, Samantha Lynn Wagenhurst, 30, and Carlos Javier Martinez, 29, both of Tamaqua entered the Walmart at 620 Gravel Pike with two children on Thursday, Aug. 15, around 5:42 p.m.

Store security observed Wagenhurst and Martinez putting electronic items and DVDs into a shopping cart before telling the 13-year-old child to “push the cart past all points of sale,” according to a press release from state police at the Skippack barracks.

“At no time did they make any attempt to return the items to the merchant or pay for the items,” police said.

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The teenager was confronted by store security after he passed the store registers, police said. The total value of the items in the cart was $583.23, police said.

Martinez fled the store after the teen was stopped, police said. He later turned himself in to state police.

The other child with Wagenhurst and Martinez was a 4-year-old boy, police said.

Wagenhurst was arrested at the store and taken to the Skippack barracks of the state police for processing.

Both Martinez and Wagenhurst are charged with retail theft, corruption of minors and conspiracy to commit retail theft.

Both Martinez and Wagenhurst were arraigned in front of Judge Karen E. Zucker. Bail for Wagenhurst was set at $10,000 unsecured. Martinez’s bail was set at $10,000 cash.

Martinez was taken to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in lieu of bail. Preliminary hearings for both are scheduled for Sept. 5 at 3 p.m. before Judge Catherine Hummel-Fried.